Grain of the matter

Govt's grain stock reduction is a good development

The sharp decrease in the government’s wheat inventories this year is neither unexpected nor a matter of concern. Though the quantity of wheat in the official grain coffers has declined to 28.5 million tonnes, the lowest since 2008, it is still about a million tonnes higher than the stocks needed to be held as buffer and strategic reserves for food security purposes. Besides, there is no dearth of wheat in the market despite record exports and liberal shipments to other countries on humanitarian grounds. About 1.8 million tonnes of wheat was sent to about a dozen countries, including Bangladesh and